Close contest for Corangamite in 2010

Colac is at the heart of Victoria's second-largest marginal seat, Corangamite. Statewide Drive visits the town in Victoria's western district during the last week before the federal election to tackle some of the major issues facing the region.

Traditionally a Liberal seat, Labor won the 2007 election by a margin of just 0.9 per cent.

A very diverse electorate, Corangamite's boundaries stretch from the Bellarine Peninsula and suburbs around Geelong, west down the Great Ocean Road to Cape Otway and inland as far north as Smythesdale where the Corangamite, Wannon and Ballarat electorates meet.

Key issues

The duplication of the Princes Highway is a key topic for both Liberal and Labor candidates. ALP candidate Darren Cheeseman originally promised to duplicate the highway to Winchelsea, but has since matched Liberal candidate Sarah Henderson's promise to extend the duplication to Colac.

Population growth and a ballooning growth corridor in the south of the electorate is another key issue, raising concerns about coastal development, climate change, community development and the delivery of infrastructure and services.

With a large stretch of coastal land spanning inland across volcanic plains close to Ballarat, tourism and agriculture make up a large proportion of the region's economy.

Like many regional towns, Colac's health system relies heavily on a workforce of ageing and overseas-trained doctors to provide both general practice and emergency medical care.

There have been concerns about the Federal Opposition's plans to cut Labor's trade training centres. Five schools within Corangamite are pooling their money to apply for federal funding.